A total of 71 ballot boxes were recounted yesterday at the conclusion of day 15 of the national recount and as GECOM seeks to further accelerate the process, Chairperson, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh intends to ask the national COVID-19 task force for two more work stations.
Yesterday’s figure brings the total number of boxes recounted thus far to 789 out of 2339.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GECOM, Yolanda Ward last evening said that of the 71 boxes completed, 18 were from Region 3, 14 from Region 4, 13 from Region 5, 20 from Region 6 and 6 from Region 7.
At the Tabulation Centre, Ward noted that 732 General Statements of Recount (SOR) were generated and 756 of the regional SORs.
Ward said that as of today, the tabulation exercise will commence at 3 pm. The recount of the ballots cast in Regions 1 and 2 has since been completed.
The exercise initially commenced with ten work stations. A proposal to add an additional six stations was rejected by the National COVID-19 Task Force which instead approved two new stations. The taskforce in making the recommendation expressed concern that the tabulation centre was congested and GECOM staff and party agents were not adhering to containment and mitigation measures established by WHO/ PAHO to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Ward yesterday said that all twelve of the workstations are in operation.
She explained that the Commission yesterday met with Presidential Candi-date of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, Dr Irfaan Ali and a delegation to hear their concerns as it relates to the exercise.
During the meeting, Ward said a number of issues were raised, most of which are recurring and are already being discussed.
She noted that the issues raised dealt particularly with the slothfulness of the process and the need for acceleration.
Some recommendations were also put forward, she said.
Among the suggestions, Ward said were mainly ways in which the time could be minimized during the recount at the level of the respective work stations and the suggestion to allocate at least 40% of the counting stations to Region 4 – as the region with the largest number of boxes to be recounted.
“All these issues are ongoing discussions at the level of the commission and they continue to make whatever adjustments necessary to ensure that they work through the protocol,” Ward said.
She further explained that while constitutionally the commission operates in an autonomous way, it cannot function in isolation and not be cognizant of other factors that would affect their operations.
According to Ward, GECOM hopes to have some “some amount “of acceleration done as it relates to the process and they have been exploring a number of avenues by which this can be done.
No definitive timeline
The exercise which commenced on May 6th is being conducted at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). Counting is being done every day for an 11-hour period starting from 8 am and concluding at 7 pm.
It had been proposed in the recount order that the entire process could be completed within 25 days but so far the Commission would need twice as many days to process the 2,339 boxes generated at the March 2, 2020 elections.
Ward yesterday told reporters that the Commission still does not have a definitive timeline for the completion of the exercise.
This, she said continues to be an “ongoing discussion” at the level of the Commission.
“So that we will be able to, based on our continued assessment as to what needs to happen and the various strategies to be employed at the level of the commission to determine how we proceed and to really come up with a definitive time as to when this exercise could be completed,” Ward explained.
She added that it is the desire of the commission for the process to conclude in the shortest possible time. “….And so being cognizant of the current environment that we are operating in as well as a number of other factors, I am sure that the commission will continue to have deliberations along this line and hopefully very soon will be able to come up with a definitive timeline for the conclusion of this exercise,” Ward noted.
Seven days
Ali during his address to the media yesterday indicated his party’s willingness to support an extension of seven days for the process to be completed. “We have made it clear that we will support a minimum extension of maybe seven days,” he said.
“As you are aware, the CARICOM team is here for a period of 25 days. So this is one aspect of the equation, GECOM and the political parties must take into consideration when we examine the timeline and when we examine what is needed to satisfy all the stakeholders and to ensure that the process is completed in a transparent manner with CARICOM here,” Ali noted.
Meanwhile, Ali said that his party has also requested GECOM to “rework” the schedule within the present context and with the new initiative so that a definitive “end date can” be determined.
“….Because of the fact that we have CARICOM here and other observers here, we asked that GECOM look at the totality of the current situation and the initiatives that they will implement and then to come up with a definite timeline, a new end date for the recount process.” Ali said.
The recount is being scrutinized by a high-level three-member team from CARICOM.
Two more workstations
In an effort to speed up the process, Ward also confirmed that the Chair-person intends to write the National COVID-19 Task Force to ask for two more work stations.
“…Though recently there was an assessment and a report provided by the National COVID-19 Task Force as it relates to the establishment for additional work stations, being cognizant that it is of national importance that this recount exercise concludes as quickly as possible, it is the intention of the Chairperson to write to the national task force again to seek their reconsideration for an additional two work stations,” Ward said.
During his address to the media yesterday, Government-appointed Commissioner Vincent Alexander also said that the commission was considering the proposal of additional work stations to increase the pace of the process.
Alexander admitted that even as the Commission tries to accelerate the process, it will be difficult to achieve the 25-days timeline.
“Yes we are going to consider what they have said but the issue of 25 days, there is no guarantee that we will make the 25 days,” he said.
In fact, Alexander added that 25 days timeline was always an estimate which the Commission said they will review. “…The review is ongoing. The fact that we have two additional stations working is a result of that review and the review would continue,” he added.
According to Alexander, while GECOM might be willing to increase the number of work stations, they will have to continue to consult with the COVID-19 Task Force. “….I had reason to make the point that the people who contend that GECOM is autonomous and no one can tell them what to do have a wrong understanding about the law,” he said.
“Of course GECOM has its jurisdiction and its jurisdiction is about conduct of the elections and no other authority can tell them how to conduct the elections but the question before us is not mainly a question of elections, it’s a health issue, national health issue and in those circumstances there would be some other body that has the authority in that regard and GECOM has to work with that body……The same way which GECOM has its jurisdiction, others have their jurisdiction and you have to have mutual results among the organs of the state,” he added.
Given the space in the ACCC, Alexander noted that it is going to be “hard”, if at all, to establish two additional work stations.
Measures to increase pace
During the meeting with the Commission yesterday, Ali said that his party recommended other measures which can be taken in an effort to increase the pace of the recount process.
Among the party’s recommendations, Ali said was the implementation of a quota system whereby a minimum target is set for every workstation for each day. “…..And those stations work every day until they complete their quota so that the totality of the quota will be in keeping with the objective of the commission, the chair and achieving that target,” he said.
Ali noted that this was recommended in keeping with the Chairperson’s previous statement where she had stated her intention to accomplish a target of 100 boxes per a day.
“….All the quota system does is to say there is a minimum standard that we are going to establish for every station and that standard maybe 12 stations now, it has to be about 9 boxes for a station but if you have two additional stations that we recommended then of course it might be less. It may be 8 and that is in keeping with the average that we have been seeing…..if you look at the target of a 100 boxes per a day that takes us to an extension of 7 days, one week. So it is tying all the loose ends together, making the decisions now and then coming up with that definite end date,” Ali explained.
According to Ali, another recommendation his party made was for GECOM to consider an extension of the work hours for staff. “The staff working extended hours and for GECOM to ensure that they are properly compensated for the additional hours beyond the normal time frame as an incentive for the staff to not only complete the quota but to work in ensuring that we achieve the outcome of the recount in the shortest possible timeframe and transparently,” Ali stated.
Ali further noted that a request was also made for the Commission to renew efforts to have other accredited international observers return to oversee the process.
Prior to the commencement of the recount, GECOM had invited all observer missions which had been accredited for the March 2 elections to return to observe the recount of the votes cast.
The CARICOM team is entitled to be present during the recount and the regional tabulations which follow. At the end of the process the CARICOM team shall submit a report to the Commission which may include their observations, recommendations, and conclusions.
The US-based Carter Center has not received the green light to send a team to the recount.
The Carter Center which is one of the five missions so far accredited had previously attempted to have one member of its team travel to Guyana to observe the process but failed to secure permission from the Government.
However, Ward explained that the return of the international observers is “outside” of the remit of the commission.
“When it comes to international observers, there has been an established protocol, a legal protocol and so the protocol as always is that international observers go through the executive and once that approval and accreditation is being granted, it is then forwarded to GECOM. And so it is not for GECOM to do advocacy on that part because it steps outside pf the perimeters of the commission,” she noted.
